John Polanyi Collegiate InstituteADDRESS: 640 Lawrence Ave West, North York, ON

M6A 1B1PHONE NUMBER: (416) 395-3303EMAIL ADDRESS:GRADE RANGE: 9 to 12

Rotman School ofManagement, U ofT partnershipJohn Polanyi CollegiateInstitute will offer tostudents the acclaimedIntegrated ThinkingI-Think leadershipprogram developed byRotman School ofManagement Dean,Roger Martin. RogerMartin is the author ofthe book The OpposableMind: How SuccessfulLeaders Win ThroughIntegrative Thinking.More than ever, successin our global economydepends on an ability towade throughambiguous challenges,managing difficulttrade-offs with flexibilityand creativity.

John Polanyi Collegiate Institute (JPCI) will be opening inSeptember 2011 at 640 Lawrence Avenue West (Lawrence andAllen Road). JPCI will be a semestered school offering a fullrange of university, college and apprenticeship programs.

Other U of T linksThe Rotman School of Management will mark the second majorpartnership between JPCI and the University of Toronto. Moreimportantly is the name of the school itself. John Polanyi is aNobel Laureate (Chemistry, 1986) and one of the world's mostrespected and honoured scientists as well as a distinguished andactive Professor at the University of Toronto. He is also theFounding Chair of the Canadian Pugwash Institute which wasawarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996 for their workinternationally on nuclear disarmament. Few Canadians havecontributed more to advancing science and social justice, or havebeen more recognized than Dr. Polanyi.

More Information about John Polanyi Collegiate Institute

Specialist High Skills Major programAs part of the Specialist High Skills Major program the school will offer in the area of JusticeCommunity and Safety Services a grade 11 and 12 Criminology and Forensics major that has beendeveloped with the University of Toronto's Centre for Criminology.

SMaRT (Science, Math, and Robotics Tech)The SMaRT program (Science, Mathematics, Robotics and Technology) is aimed at students withstrengths and goals in these subjects. The program will provide enriched opportunities in inquiry,design and problem-solving.

Other Innovative ProgramsJPCI will also offer other a number of additional academic and pathways programs to supportstudent success.

Additional Features

For a list of all programs that are also offered visit http://www.tdsb.on.ca/schools/index.asp?schno=8888&schoolId=4012

Student Life - Where You Belong

An exciting part of high school is the connection of student life with academic life. To that end JPCIoffers opportunities to students in all forms of leadership such as partnerships and certifications with theRotman School of Management I-Think Program, UofT Criminology Specialist High Skills Majors(SHSM), Humber College Environmental and Media Studies and our SMaRT enriched program.Sportsfor males and female teams have all areas covered with teams in football, basketball, volleyball, cricket,hockey, soccer, indoor soccer, swimming, badminton, table tennis and wrestling. The daily intra-sportsprograms also are buzzing in the gyms with lunchtime and after-school weight room workouts andleague games to help increase health and fitness.The arts is an incredibly powerful pillar at JPCI withsuccessful shows from our programs in Dance, Photography, Visual Arts, Music, Ceramics and ouraward winning actors and actresses in drama and singing!  The JPCI auditorium complements all theseshows.If students prefer to a smaller club-style atmosphere there are unlimited clubs available in areassuch as computer technology, graphics, anime, and sewing and cooking! 

What Sets Us Apart

Leadership comes in all forms but all have one fundamental purpose – to build skills in character. Theextra component that JPCI has to offer is the number of powerful partners that leverage our students’character beyond the scope of the classroom and into the real world. Environmental sustainability andCharacter education go hand in hand through our partnership with PACT (participation,acknowledgement, commitment and transformation).The PACT “Grow to Learn” Urban AgricultureInitiative is a program designed to grow and donate organic produce to food banks across the GTA. Theproduce is grown at the school by youth and the school community at large. This program commencedin 2009 and is a natural outreach component of the original PACT Farm in the City program. At JPCI the garden is partnered with the North York Harvest Food Bank which is housed within the siteof JPCI.  The garden is currently being built as a 25,000 square foot site with year round functionsincluding a skating rink in the winter!

Parent and Community Engagement

A successful school has strong relationships with parents. To that end communication is key. Our SchoolImprovement Plan (SIP) outlines our four key priorities in line with our Director’s vision of improvingschools.At JPCI we believe in communicating our updates and initiatives through the school website, twitter,newsletters and parent information evenings.Parent Council are also involved in various school-wide initiatives; e.g. Recognition Assemblies,Commencement, Evening Presentations, Coaching, Conferences/Workshops, Field Trips andCelebratory Events. Our School Improvement Plan involves Parent and Student Leaders. Parents areinformed of all major events via "Synervoice" message system. There is productive Bi-annual Parentforums during "Parent Teacher Nights" where all curricular and co-curricular committee leaders providingkey information to parents.

TDSB - Better Schools. Brighter Futures

Imagine a TDSB where all schools share a common core set of characteristics. They arecommunity-driven and focused on teaching and learning. Students and parents have a wide variety ofopportunities and there are enough students in every school to increase program choices. Imagine there is a clear focus on achieving student success and every student is engaged, has a voice,access to a caring adult and the opportunity to develop their full potential. The Director of Education, Chris Spence has developed a Vision of Hope to help guide the TDSB to aneducation system like this one. Three priority areas will help guide this vision:-student achievement-parent and community engagement-financial stability Among our first steps that we are taking is re-creating our schools and that’s where Better SchoolsBrighter Futures comes in. To learn more visit http://www.tdsb.on.ca/brighterfutures

Contact Information

SCHOOL NAME: John Polanyi Collegiate InstituteADDRESS: 640 Lawrence Ave West, North York, ON

M6A 1B1TELEPHONE: (416) 395-3303EMAIL:

http://www.tdsb.on.ca/schools/index.asp?schno=8888&schoolId=4012